BEDFORD — A French Lick man is facing a long list of felony and misdemeanor charges after allegedly storming a Bedford home with a knife and a mask during a New Year’s Day gathering.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed by Captain Max Uebelhoer of the Bedford Police Department, 19-year-old Braxton C. Stout was taken into custody on January 1, 2026, after a violent confrontation left multiple victims injured and a residence in disarray.
At approximately 1:00 a.m. on New Year’s Day, Bedford officers were dispatched to a home in the 1400 block of U Street following reports of an active fight involving a knife. Upon arrival, police found several emotional witnesses who reported that two masked men—identified by witnesses as Stout and another male named “Hunter”—had forced their way inside.
Witnesses described a chaotic scene where Stout allegedly brandished a folding knife, making stabbing motions toward a male guest. He then “waylaid” and repeatedly punched a male victim in the face and kneed him while holding the knife. He is also accused of hurting multiple women, including punching one female in the nose with a closed fist and hitting another in the ear. He is also accused of destroying property including throwing a television at a wall and shattering a glass table.
One victim told police she hid behind a dresser while the assault occurred, and another reported holding a bathroom door shut to prevent Stout from reaching him until help arrived.
Despite wearing a mask, Stout was identified by several victims who recognized his voice, his association with his brother (who was allegedly the second intruder), and a distinctive “rose” neck tattoo. Officers later recovered a black folding knife and a winter hat at the scene.
Stout reportedly fled the scene in a green truck but contacted the Orange County Sheriff’s Office around 3:00 a.m. to turn himself in.
During an interview with Captain Uebelhoer, Stout admitted that he entered the home without an invitation and engaged in physical fights with the men inside, stating that he was upset because his ex-girlfriend was at the residence with other men. While he admitted the recovered knife belonged to him, he denied threatening anyone with it or hitting any women. He told officers that “he knew what he had done was wrong.”
Braxton Stout has been booked into the Lawrence County Jail on the following preliminary charges of burglary with a deadly weapon, two counts of intimidation with a deadly weapon, five counts of battery, residential entry, domestic battery, and criminal mischief.
As of the filing of the affidavit, the second suspect and the driver of the getaway vehicle had not been positively identified.
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This article is based on the information provided in the probable cause affidavit and does not represent a final determination of guilt or innocence.
